Imitation leather



May 21, 1929. c. H. DENNISON IMITATION LEATHER Filed NOV.- 14, 1925 @vwentoz Cannes H DENY/50H 35 M10 flaw m1 W Patented May 21, 192 9.

, UNITED TA res PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. DENNISON, F QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN RUBBER COMPANY, OF EAST CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

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Application filed November 1a, 1925.. Serial No. 68,998. V

aims to provide a product which is not only waterproof and therefore desirable for manufacturing such articles as rain coats and shoes, spats, etc., but also has a more attractive appearance and feel than rubber products heretofore available, and hence better meets the demands of the trade. These are someof the objects of the invention. ,Others will be obvious from the description hereinafter stated.

With the illustrated "embodiment of the its scope, the invention briefly stated consists in securing a fibrous rubber composition tosa backing of woven fabric or other suitable strain-resisting material, and after vulcanization, abrading to expose minute ends of the fibres, constituting a pile or nap practically invisible to the eye, and finally treating with a halogen, such as bromine to form an indurated surface that is not tacky and adhesive and much like suede leather to the touch.

trated in the accompanying drawings in -which:

, Figure 1 is a perspective view ofa frag- 4oment of the material with the laminations peeled back, and

Figure 2 is a cross section on an enlarged scale. a

Referring to the drawings, the product of the present invention in its preferred form comprises a strain-resisting backing 1 and 'a facing of vulcanized fibrous rubber composition 2, secured to the backing in any suitable manner, preferably by an intermediate stratum 'of vulcanized rubber composition 3. Free ends or extremities of the fibres in the fibrous rubber com'position are exposed and project from the surface a short distance invention in mind without intention to limit An embodiment of. the invention is illuspractically invisible to the naked eye, as indicatedat 4, forming an irregular pile or map.

While any suitablean'd convenient materials may be employed, the strain-resisting backing 1 is preferably made of a small mesh woven fabric but knitted or felted fabrics might be utilized or any other flexible textile Sheet material. The layer 2 of fibrous rubber composition may be variously compounded, butthe following formula has been found satisfactory and given as typical P arts. Ceylon 32 .Fibre 32 Accelerator (triethyl-trimethylene amine) Zinc oxide 2 Lithopone 4: Black 1 Montan wax 2 Whiting 20 Sulphur 1 Of course the ingredients and their proportions may be varied within wide limits.

The stratum or film 3 may be of any composition of rubber to give good adhesion between the backing 1 and the fibrous composition layer 2, for instance, rubber, sulphur,

and the usual reclaim, softeners, pigments,

and fillers.- It is preferred to employsuch a uniting stratum 3 which may be applied on a calender or by a spreader as well known in .the art, but if the percentage of fibres to rub-.

ber is not too great, the rubber constituent of the fibrous composition layer 2 may in some cases be utilized to effect a sufliciently strong union. However, as before indicated, it is preferred for reliability in manufacture to employ an intermediate stratum 3 of rubber.

composition to efiect a firm union ofthel fibrous'layer 2150 the backing}.

The fibrous rubbercomposition layer 2 may be prepared in any suitable and convenient manner.- Preferably theingredients come solvent, in a mixer such as the well known Werner and Pfleiderer. The fibre may be ,uniformly distributing the fibres in the mass of the compound, it may be applied to the After preparing; the

posing the same-are mixed on a mill as usual,

and then desirably churned with a quantityof backing which has preferably been already coated with rubber by calende'ring or in any other convenient manner...

After, the backing has been surfaced with the fibrous rubber composition, and preferably with an intermediate thin layer of rubber3 for binding purposes, the sheet material is vulcanized. Preferably this isaccomplished byfestooningin a heated oven, but

it may be accomplished in anyother manner convenient.

After the material has been vulcanized the surface of the fibrous rubber composition 2 is roughened or abraded as for instance by treatment with a sand paper roll revolving at a relatively high speed to score the surface of the rubber compound and to expose short lengths of-the ends of the fibres thereby forming a short irregular pile or-nap as illustrated diagrammatically at 4. This produces a fin ished surface having very much the appearance of suede leather but to more closely duplicate suede leather it is desirable to also treat the exposed face of the fibrous rubber composition with a weak solution of bromine,

around say 3%, Instead of bromine however,- other-halogens or sulphur chloride may be employedwith more or less advantage. This halogenating treatment hardens the surface superficially and produces an indurated surface. Rubber materials'for similar purposes as heretofore manufactured have either had-a soft clingy tacky feel or the had a 1 hard dry feel. But the product of t e present invention very closely approximates the feelof suede'leatherand thus obviates the criticism of many in the trade to waterproof pparel, clothing or footwear that toclo'fthousandths of an-inch. -Of course,

however, the fibrousrubber composition may g be most readily varied in thickness to'control" the a-e e; thickness pr the finished imitation leathen.

While'it is 'preferred to apply the fibrous mia'ree .rubber compositionjtoonly one face of the backing, it may of course be applied to both sides of the backing if desired. I

Reference is made to the accompanying claims for a full understandingof the scope .of the invention which is not intended to-be limited to details and which comprehends modifications within the underlying principles thereof. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

strain-resisting flexible backing having secured thereto a layer of fibrous vulcanized rubber composition ha ing an abraded surface resembling suede eather.

2. An imitation leather consisting of a layerof strain-resisting fabric, a layer of vul-- canized fibrous rubber composition, and an intermediate layer of rubber composition uniting the two first layers together, the exposed surface of the vulcanized fibrous rubber composition being abraded and indurated.

' 3. The -processof manufacturing an imita tion leather which consists in coating a strain-- 1. An imitation leather consisting of aresisting backing of flexible material with rubber composition, applying a layer of-fibrous rubber composition to said coating, vulcanizing the assemblage, and abrading the vulcanized tion leather which consists in coating a strainresisting backing of flexible material with rubber composition, applying a layer of fibrous". rubberflcompo'sition. to said coating,

'v'ulc'anizing the assemblage, abrading the vulf canized product so as to expose the ends of the fibres, and treating the abraded surface with product so as to expose the ends .ofthefibres. v

4:. The process 'of manufacturing an imitaa halogen to indurate the rubbercomposition of the visible face.

5. An imitation suede leather consisting of a strain-resisting flexible backing having secured thereto a layer of vulcanized rubber composition and a layer of fibrous rubber comosition, the'surfa ce of said composition bemgabradeda'nd'the ends of the'fibers being exposed and projecting minutely so as to be practically invisibleto the naked eye.

Signed at Cambridge, county of Middle sex,1and State of Massachusetts, this ninth 1 day of November, 1925. Y

' CHARLES H. nENNisoN. 

